


Before Overwatch (A Collection of Back Stories)

by yankeedoodz



Series: Overwatch: The Series [3]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Drama, Minor Character Death, Multi, Romance, Sad, Violence, like really sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-08-09 03:00:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7784089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yankeedoodz/pseuds/yankeedoodz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every story has a beginning. Everyone has a start. This is the start of heroes, villains and everyone else in-between. What shaped our heroes to the people that they are today? What broke down our villains and twisted them?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. M.E.K.A

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Before Overwatch, a collection of backstories for your favorite characters. I intend on writing backstories for each character and future characters, so... this is gonna be a long story. Despite the title, Before Overwatch doesn't mean each backstory will take place before they had joined Overwatch or whatever, it's just a fancy title and such. Oh, and warning. Out of my, ah, trilogy of stories, this is definitely the darkest one. I will be putting warnings for this story, the first time I have ever had to do so for fanfic. Expect lots of violence, lots of swearing, lots of sexual content and other things I can think of. Please enjoy.
> 
> Oh. Additional note. This story and any other story where the main character that the story is about speaks another language, assume that the language spoken is in that language and not in English. For example: is Korean and speaks Korean. Her dialogue in this story will be Korean (but written in English, obviously) unless stated otherwise. I will be inserting some words in their native language as a means of emphasis. But yeah. So, that's that. Enjoy!

_ Hana Song  
_

The shockwave collapsed the entire cul-de-sac. The alarms wailed as people rushed out of their homes making a beeline toward the shelters but it was too late for the adjacent neighborhood. Hyuk and Jina Song watched in horror as the buildings fell, crumbling under the crushing weight. The next shockwaves would be coming soon, they needed to go, they needed to run, but their legs felt like concrete. 

That’s when the Omnic rose from the sea.

They were miles away from Jeju but they could see the Omnic rising, it was impossibly huge, so difficult to even register its size. The  _ Taitan  _ Omnic looked large enough that it could wipe Jeju off the map with a single swipe of its hand. 

Jets screamed overhead, flying toward the monstrous Omnic, firing off their payloads but their missiles looked like toys compared to the  _ Taitan _ . They harmlessly grazed the Omnic’s armor, it barely flinched and continued to turn its attention to the mainland.

“Come on!” Jina said, rousing her husband, Hyuk, out of his stupor. “We must get underground!” 

Hyuk’s eyes were orbs of fear, but he nodded and readjusted his grip on a small bundle in his arms. Hana was crying, of course, she was only eight. All of this chaos and discourse would strike fear into anyone. Hana buried her face in Hyuk’s chest, screaming.

Jina wished to comfort her but they couldn’t. She took Hyuk’s hand and ran. They sprinted as quickly as they could to the nearest shelter, an underground bunker in the middle of their little town. 

Jina and Hyuk grew up with the fear of this attack since they were children. They had done countless drills at school, went through countless evacuation plans, all to prepare them for this. But they weren’t ready, no one would be. It’s one thing hearing about the monstrous  _ Taitan _ emerging from the sea like some kind of demon and wiping out  _ millions _ of people, but its another actually seeing it happen.

Her heart hammered in her chest, her legs felt like lead but Jina kept running. Crowds of people herded in the same direction, there were too many people to count a sea of fear and agony. The second shock wave hit.

The ground cracked, the sea exploded, buildings collapsed and everyone was thrown off their feet. Jina was quick to recover but the sight of the aftermath made her sick. Thousands of people were on the ground, pinned by debris, torn asunder from the blast. The street they were running on no longer existed, instead it was torn apart, collapsing downward into hell.

Panic seized Jina’s throat as she looked around, desperately searching for Hyuk and Hana. “HYUK! HYUK!” she screamed but her voice felt unfamiliar to her, ah, she realized her hearing was shot. High-pitched ringing drilled a hole in her mind but she screamed as loudly as she could.

Tiny hands tugged at Jina’s leg. Jina looked down. Hana was there, thank God. Her face was covered in soot, there was blood on her shirt, tears streaked down her face. She screamed something but Jina couldn’t hear.

“Hana!” she said, unable to hear her own voice. “Hana, you must run! Please go!”

Hana shook her head, still crying, still looking down at her leg. What was wrong? Why couldn’t Jina move?

Jina took a better look at her body. She was laying, pinned to what used to be a shop. A massive chunk of rebar left Jina horribly dismembered. Her left leg was about ten feet away on the street, her right was cleaved in two. But she didn’t feel anything. She didn’t feel  _ anything _ at all. 

She looked up. Hana was crying, sobbing, trying to wipe her face but left streaks of blood on her cheeks. Jina felt weak. She wanted to call for Hyuk. Jina followed Hana’s line of sight. Hyuk was pinned similarly to the wall to Jina’s right. He wasn’t moving.

Copper filled Jina’s move and it was harder to breath. She told Hana to run. Told her to survive. To simply  _ survive _ .

But Hana wouldn’t move. Hana stood there screaming and sobbing. She stood there until Jina couldn’t move anymore.

A man snatched up Hana. His uniform bore the insignia of Overwatch. He didn’t say anything as he sprinted away, unable to help these dying people. He needed to save someone. Anyone.

Just one person.

* * *

“I’m so happy to meet you!” Duri Kwan giggled, taking Hana’s hand and shaking it firmly. “Oh my gosh, you… you are  _ amazing _ ! I l-love your streams and just.. You! C-can we please get a picture together?”

Hana smiled warmly, “Of course!” She pulled out her Polaroid and stood cheek-to-cheek with Duri and made a goofy expression whilst Duri tried not to cry in the picture. The picture was printed instantly and Hana lovingly signed it, “To Duri, my most amazing fan with the cutest hair! Love - D.Va!”

“Oh my gosh,” Duri said, examining the picture, still trying to compose herself. “I- thank you! My mom won’t believe this!”

“It’s no prob, really,” Hana insisted, still smiling at Duri’s reaction. Despite Duri easily being ten years older than Hana, she behaved more like a sixteen year old fan meeting their idol. 

Hana supposed she would be considered an idol nowadays. Duri was supposed to lead Hana to the recording studio but once they met, Duri’s once steely professional demeanor dissipated and she immediately hugged Hana.

It was something she had been used to since she was sixteen, but this time it was for a different reason. It wasn’t for winning some  _ Starcraft _ tourny or getting 15 million subs on Twitch. No. It was for saving South Korea.

“I’m sorry,” Duri said, still smiling. “It’s just… you’re a  _ hero _ ! H-how did you do it? It must’ve been scary.”

It had been scary. Terrifying, in fact. But Hana didn’t say that part. She just smiled and winked. “Nothing I can’t handle!” she giggled. “And sorry, Duri, but that part’s classified.”

Duri looked disappointed but she nodded all the same. Ever since the fight, Hana had been bombarded with thousands,  _ millions _ of questions like that. A million times Hana gave the same answers.

Oh, it was nothing.

Oh, it was easy.

That’s classified!

But the truth is, Hana is still reeling from what happened. Still  _ confused _ how she survived at all. The South Korean government had debriefed her and threatened her under penalty of death not to reveal what she saw, what she did to save all of South Korea.

Good. She didn’t want to think about it. She just wanted to go home and sleep for a week. But she couldn’t. Hana was pulled immediately to make a documentary about herself. To explain her life, her  _ journey _ to the people. That was probably scarier than the battle itself.

Duri took her to the booth. It was a simple recording booth, soundproof walls (ooh, she would need that for her stream setup) a professional grade microphone (didn’t look as good as hers), and a camera set up all for her. 

There was a team of people setting up the sound and video for this session, along with the interviewer herself. She sat opposite to Hana’s spot, her pretty blonde hair was being done up by a squadron of make-up artists.

The interviewer didn’t greet Hana as she entered, so she just awkwardly sat in her spot. One of the make-up artists turned to do Hana but she waved him away. “Oh, no, I’m fine.”

Truth was, she wasn’t. Hana hadn’t slept well this past week. Her brown hair was a messy, dark circles ringed under her eyes, she looked paler than usual. She had come to this recording session wearing her BATTLE BUNNY shirt and simple shorts, literally the clothes she had slept in these past few days.

The make-up artist insisted. 

He put about five pounds of makeup on her face, quickly cleaned her hair with some dry shampoo and offered her a better outfit but Hana drew the line there. Finally, they were ready.

The interviewer smiled at Hana but it didn’t feel very genuine, which was a first, people couldn’t stop worshipping her whenever she went out. It was a nice feeling, being treated as a human again.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Song.” The interviewer said, her smile looked more like she was just baring her teeth.

“Oh, please, call me Hana. Or D.Va!” Hana said, smiling.

The interviewer merely smiled back. “Okay… Hana. I am--”

“Jeong-Hui Oh,” Hana interrupted. “I know, I’ve watched all of your documentaries. I  _ really _ enjoyed the one about the Lunar City,  _ Future in the Void _ .”

Jeong-Hui’s smile turned more genuine, as if she were shocked that someone like Hana would watch her documentaries much less even know who she was. Hana got that reaction a lot as well. People assumed that because she acted like a goofball on stream that was how she was supposed to be 24/7.

It got so bad, one time her stream found out that Hana wore glasses and regularly read and they threw a tantrum. They accused her of faking glasses to attract more viewers or trying to seem smarter than she actually was, it was a mess. Hana never streamed without her contacts ever since.

“I am… glad you enjoyed my work,” Jeong-Hui said. “Not many people liked that one.”

“Whaaat?” Hana gasped. “It’s the best! Your theory on planetary colonization was super concise and well-thought out! I totally agree with you, I think we can  _ definitely _ colonize Mars in ten years.”

Jeong-Hui’s smile became warmer with each word she spoke, she looked like she wanted to continue the conversation but glanced at her watch and frowned. “As much as I would like to continue, we are pressed for time, sorry Hana.”

“No worries, so, what’s the deal? Your producer didn’t really explain anything to me.”

The camera’s red light flashed on and Jeong-Hui’s demeanor changed. She maintained her smile but she leaned in forward and held up her microphone to her mouth. Her professional mode, Hana decided. 

“We are just looking to get an insight on South Korea’s own Savior,” Jeong-Hui said, her voice sounding professional and eloquent. “We want to learn all about you and see how the rising star of pro-gaming became an international sensation, a  _ hero _ .”

  
Hana smiled at the camera, maintaining her perfect professional smile. “Alright, this is gonna be a long story, so buckle up guys. You’re in for the long-haul.”


	2. M.E.K.A - Part 2

Hana Song moved from Wando to Hanam city after Wando was nearly destroyed by the  _ Taitan _ . She didn’t remember much of the trip, only that it lasted for days. The Rebuilding Process created massive congestion within South Korea, it was perhaps the worst  _ Taitan _ attack in years. So much so, the United States needed to lend a hand in rebuilding.

On the car drive there, Hana remembered seeing hundreds of American soldiers in the shelters, unloading rations, clothes, and weaponry to the South Korean officials. Hana was crammed into a bus from a fleet of about 200 all filled to the brim with people from all over South Korea. She looked around the bus and found she didn’t see anyone from her neighborhood with her. It was just her.

She was the only child on the bus, there were many adults, even more teenagers, and some soldiers accompanying them. But as far as Hana knew, she was the youngest one there. So young, in fact, she had been assigned a handler. It took her a while to recognize him, but it was the soldier that rescued her in Wando.

He was tall, with dark brown skin, darker facial hair, and near black eyes. He sat by the window, looking uncomfortable as he crossed his arms and stared out into the devastated cities that zoomed past. He opted to change out of his uniform and settled into a black shirt that showed off his muscular, yet scarred, biceps, black pants, boots and a black beanie.

The two didn’t speak for most of the journey, which was fine since Hana wasn’t very sure she was capable of speech. She felt hollow on the inside, like someone opened up her chest, took out her heart and left her there. She wasn’t sure she would recognize her own voice if she spoke. 

The Soldier’s phone buzzed. He muttered something in a different language and answered it. Hana recognized that he was speaking English into the phone, but couldn’t translate what he was saying. She only caught a few words. 

_ Omnic. Seoul. Kid _ .

He hung up the phone, apparently in a worse mood, and stared at Hana. Hana stared back, her eyes lifeless. The Soldier frowned and pulled out a little book written in Korean.

“You… are… hungry?” he asked in haltingly, awkward Korean. 

Hana nodded.

“Ah… My Korean is… not good. Not much… practice…” He frowned and put away his book. Reaching into his back he brandished a small black box and opened it to retrieve its contents. Two pairs of tiny earphones, he moved to put them in Hana’s ears then paused. 

The Soldier showed her the earphones then pointed at his own ears then at her. Hana nodded and took the earphones, putting them on. The Soldier placed his own earphones in and fiddled with a device.

As he was tweaking with the settings, Hana felt a strange sense of vertigo. It felt like someone tipped Hana upside down then rapidly placed her right-side up. The nauseating sensation blurred Hana’s vision.

“Shit!” The Soldier reached in and pulled Hana’s hair back, gently holding it up and handed her a plastic bag. Hana got sick in the bag. “Sorry, I really didn’t want to use the translators because of that. Come on, you’re okay, let it out.”

It took Hana a moment to realize he was now speaking perfect Korean, or at least that what she was hearing. It was like watching two videos at the same time, the voices overlapped each other. On top of his perfect Korean she could hear his sentences in English and another strange language. 

Hana finished getting sick and groaned, gripping her stomach. The Soldier rummaged through his bag and handed Hana a crushed up sandwich and a bottle of water. Hana immediately refused.

“You have to eat,” the Soldier said. “You haven’t eaten in two days, I don’t want you keeling over, kid.”

“But… I’ll get sick,” Hana complained.

“Just try okay, you need your strength.”

Hana reluctantly complied, taking the sandwich and eating it in small bites. It tasted like cardboard but she managed to keep it down. Hana instantly downed the bottle of water. The Soldier chuckled under his breath but shook his head. “I know you’re thirsty, kid. But you need to ration your water more carefully. There are millions thirsty and hungry now, finish your food or water too quickly and you’ll end up like them.”

Hana apologized and stared up at the man’s face. White lines scarred his face, running down his cheeks. He looked brutal. Like a shark manifested into human form, his dark eyes darting back and forth as if searching for his next prey. But when he smiled he looked different, like a bright sun after a thunderstorm.

“Who are you?” Hana asked.

The Soldier frowned and considered his answer. “Gabriel Reyes, you can call me Gabe.”

Hana considered her next question. “Why did you save me?”

Gabriel looked puzzled by that question, as if he were floored by such a heavy question coming from such a young and innocent child. “Because you needed help. I’m sorry I couldn’t save anyone else.”

_ Like your parents _ , his eyes wanted to say but his mouth never formed the words. Hana nodded mutely and continued to nibble on her sandwich. 

Gabriel’s phone buzzed again. Sighing, he muttered, “Goddamnit,” before brandishing the damnable device and answering. “Jack, I told you, I can’t leave.”

Hana continued to eat her sandwich as she ate, half-curious about who this Jack was, even more curious about why he needed to go. “Listen, Ange and I are still in South Korea… I know, but there’s this kid…” 

Gabriel looked at Hana, she wondered if he realized everything he said was translated for her. As if answering her silent question, Gabriel patted Hana’s head tentatively. “I can’t leave her, Jack. I’ll link up with the group  _ after _ I know she’s safe.”

Gabriel hung up and Hana stared at him. “Who was that?”

“An annoyance,” Gabriel frowned. “Come on kid, do you need to use the bathroom?”

The bus stopped by an abandoned dilapidated petrol station, Hana wasn’t even sure there were cars that ran on petrol anymore. The bus driver informed them that they would be taking a break, explaining that they had been driving for thirty hours straight. Hana wasn’t sure that was accurate but Gabriel nodded sagely.

He escorted Hana outside and the sun instantly shined down on them. The brightness of the sun epitomized the word “heat” as Hana immediately began to miss the cool interior of the bus, but Gabriel insisted. He seemed to be okay in the heat, but Hana felt as if she were tossed into an oven.

Walking over to the petrol station, they found it was perfectly destroyed. The petrol canisters were ripped from their casing within the concrete underground and stolen, everything was looted, including the hoses and ATMs. The windows were broken completely and upon entering the entire place was ransacked.

Gabriel grunted, reaching for his hip but scowling as his fingers gripped for empty air. “Stay close,” Gabriel warned. “Don’t know what kinda people may be lurking around.”

Hana didn’t know what he meant, the place was empty, but she complied almost robotically. She noted the rest of the occupants of the bus lingered around the petrol station but they were the only two to actually enter.

“Gas and water won’t work,” Gabriel explained as they approached the bathroom. “Try to do the best you can.”

Hana was about to enter but he stopped her. “Hold on.” 

Gabriel entered the bathroom first, five seconds later he came out. “Alright, clear.”

Hana nodded and entered. 

The bathroom was a tiny hovel, smaller than a broom closet. A broken stall surrounded a tiny toilet accompanied by a toilet paper dispenser which, oddly enough, was filled to the brim. The sink may have been white sometime ago but was now rust red. The mirror was defaced with strange language that Hana quickly associated with the Omnic “language”.

It was a series of symbols, almost like pictograph but none of them  _ looked _ like anything, just crude geometry arrange in an almost arbitrary manner. Underneath the Omnic sentence was one in Korean that Hana could read.

BUILT TO SERVE

RUST-BUCKET

ONLY MACHINE

Hana frowned looking at the strange graffiti. There was a sense of emptiness in her chest as she read the Korean characters. They were written in a harsh manner, as if someone slashed at the mirror with a brush. They looked angry. Furious. But Hana didn’t understand it, didn’t understand the anger, the fury.

She looked past the writing and into the reflection. Hana almost gasped at her appearance. It didn’t look like her, it looked like some… creature designed to look like her and got almost everything right except one crucial part.

Her eyes.

Her brown eyes looked dark, almost as dark as Gabriel’s. In class once, they talked about space and the cosmos. The teacher explained about black holes. Dense matter that was once a star collapsed into a single point, sucking in everything around it. Space. Time. Matter. Light. The black hole didn’t discriminate, it took  _ everything _ and obliterated it.

That’s what her eyes looked like. Black holes that obliterated everything that they saw. 

She rubbed her eyes, hoping to see her brown eyes again but they weren’t there anymore. Just the black holes. Hana went over to the toilet and did her business. She couldn’t wash her hands but she wiped them as best she could on her pants. Hana didn’t look at her reflection as she exited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize that this is so painfully short. The chapter is about like 4k words long but I had to cut it in half to make sense. I felt bad I hadn't updated this in a while so I put this shorter chapter up. If you guys want longer chapters but longer update times or shorter chapters and quicker updates let me know.


End file.
